Page 133 of Chasing the Wild
But all I can think as we stroll past the fancy brickwork and a gleaming fountain set in the middle of the courtyard, is that this place doesn’t have a fraction of the appeal of Devil’s Peak Ranch. There are Bentleys and Audis lined up outside the manager’s offices, where I’m sure they strut around in designer cashmere and sip macchiatos.
Give me rugged mountain terrain and piles of firewood needing to be split any day. Give me hazel eyes, a scruffy beard tickling my neck, and the earthy aroma of black coffee.
Nope. Not the time, or the place for me to allow myself to start thinking about Colton Wilder.
Today is all about my graduation. About spending time with my best friend, who has flown halfway across the country to support me. This marks the first day of my future, wherever that might take me.
With a little push from Sage, I’ve even started to look at jobs in Ireland and Scotland. Maybe even Australia. At first, I protested that I couldn’t leave the country… couldn’t leave Evaline. But then she pointed out it would make no difference if I was two or twenty thousand miles away.
And as tragic as that reality is, of course, the smug little minx was right.
“Jesus. Do these people wipe their horse’s asses with dollar bills, or what?” Sage hisses. “It’s bougie as fuck.”
“Right? Isn’t it soextra?” A smile meets my lips. “But they sponsor the vet program every year and therefore host a graduation ceremony worthy of the Hamptons… so pipe your judgmental ass down until we get outta here, ok, Sergeant?”
Sage gives me a two-fingered salute at her eyebrow. “Not a peep. Oh, wait…” She clutches my arm. “Bougie photo op alert. These fuckers might be rich, but that view is to die for. Let me get a shot of you with those hills in the background.”
I pout, my eyes drifting to the rows of white folding chairs filling up with fellow graduates and their guests who are milling around.
“Do we have to?” I’m not exactly in the mood for taking photos, but at least the outfit I chose for today feels likeme.Sage helped me find a forest green silky slip dress that makes my eyes stand out, and presented me with a brand new pair of the prettiest fucking boots I’ve ever seen as a gift for graduating. They’re the softest goddamn things, tan-colored with gold stitching and a little heel.
She’s got a matching pair in charcoal… because, of course, she does. Ever the black cat in my life.
“Ok. Just quick. Then you gotta go find your seat.”
Sage orders me around, living up to her childhood nickname. Insisting on a few different tilts of my chin tofind the light. When we’re finally done, she’s grinning at my phone.
“Firstly, you gotta post that one real quick… Secondly, do we have time to go have a quickie in an empty horse stall? Because you, my friend, are doing things for me.” She flutters manicured hands in my direction and shimmies.
My cheeks heat at the mention of quickies and horse stables, and of course, that makes my body vividly remember the man who could hoist me against a wooden wall inside the barn and have me moaning within seconds.
Snatching the phone out of her grasp, I quickly swipe through the half-a-dozen photos and choose a few to post. “Happy?”
“Extremely. Now go get your gown, and if you hear uncontrollable sobbing, or wailing, please know it has nothing to do with me.”
Sage pecks a kiss on my cheek and shoves me toward the tent located off to one side of the stage where others are milling around to collect graduation gowns and caps from. There are a few faces I recognize among the others who are here to cross that stage today, but none that I’m friendly with. So I do that awkward smiling thing and get myself ready. Before I know it, we’re all seated in alphabetical order, and there is some lady in a matching cream blazer and pencil skirt, dripping with gold jewelry, standing behind the lectern, addressing the crowd.
The next hour all passes in a blur. I fidget in my seat and don’t really pay attention to anything being said by the important-looking woman up on stage.
There’s a prickling awareness as time drifts on, that I can’t shake—as if I’m being watched. It’s a ridiculous notion because Sage is the only person here for me at this ceremony. The rest of the crowd are friends and family of the hundred or so other graduates getting ready to do their walk across the dais.
Any insane ideas I’ve got in my head about a certain cowboy being here for me today, are just that. Insane ideas. My overactive imagination has gotten all riled up after running into Kayce last week, and now I’m being silly in even thinking that he might have mentioned anything to Colt.
I mean, I can only assume he spoke to his dad about it. Or maybe not. Kayce is out on the road competing, so he probably hasn’t been in contact with the ranch at all while he’s been doing his rodeo thing.
Not to mention all the everyday obstacles in the way of contacting Devil’s Peak Ranch, and its owner, on a good day.
People from the row in front of me start to get up out of their seats one by one, and I blow out an unsteady breath.Smile. Smile. Smile. This is everything I’ve worked for. All those long days and nights pouring drinks at shitty bars and times when I was certain my life was going to collapse.
I’m here.
I’ve achieved this incredible thing.
Me. Layla Birch. I did that.
Since I’m in the B section for the roll call of surnames, pretty quickly it’s my time to follow the girl seated to my left. I hear my name being called out, and everything condenses down into a tiny little tunnel of awareness as my feet carry me across to where the woman with perfect teeth and flawless makeup and soft fingers murmurs something, shakes my hand, and presents my certificate.
The ripple of applause continues as I smile and pose for the official, cliché hand-shake photo. That’s the moment, the split-second I allow my eyes to furtively scan across the crowd. I immediately see Sage giving me a one-woman standing ovation, and I can’t fucking help the quick flickering look I give the rest of the crowd.
